Didn't realise I would be missed. To be honest I have been very busy with other more important things so haven't looked at this forum for a very long time. Am sitting here in the sun with friends having a drink by the sea, so much better and more interesting.

No, they are just not on the sites! Here we go again. All UW reps are "cheesy" "liars" "not to be trusted" bla bla bla...............I can assure you I am none of these and the majority of Distributors I know also don't fall into these catagories either, in fact many are intelligent, professional people including Police, Vets, Teachers etc. The important thing is that they have chosen, after careful consideration i'm sure, to do something which they see as being of benefit to them. Better to try than to just constantly knock these things, saying they don't work and trying to get everyone else into the same negative mindset. I get it that you don't think they are a good company and the business doesn't work, you are entitled to your opinion which I assume is based on experience and I respect that opinion.

Hi Nevos. Regarding your points/questions. Firstly, almost no distributor is going to sign up customers for gas/electric only, it isn't worth it and the customer does benefit more when taking telephony & energy. As has been said before, UW are not an energy company but a multi-services company. Commission depends on a couple of things but the average customer would generally = £3.50 - 4.00pm. Sometimes more, sometimes less. I presume you mean when a customer gets into debt? If so, it isn't a problem I have ever really had because I recommend to all my customers that they send in a monthly meter reading and either check their bill each month to check for a build-up of credit/debit or they pay off in full each month based on the reading. You are partly right for those who built up a big team which is continuing to grow. (The biggest earner is on £75K+) however...there are many who have joined in recent years who are also building up a good business/income too. The market is huge. I think you could compare it any other business. Supermarkets for example. From Tesco/Sainsburys to Waitrose/M&S ...all provide food etc and some are more expensive than others however, all continue to attract new and existing customers. It is the same for all types of business, rarely is there one company who stand out in all areas above the rest. UW provide some great services/prices and generally great customer services (but as we know problems do occur). It suits some, it doesn't suit some, that's the way it is.

Nevos, some of your comments are valid but not all. Regarding mobile phones, when I started in the business i didn't really push them because I didn't think my customers or potential customers would benefit hugely, there were many better deals around but....that is not the case now, the new tariffs are fantastic! You mention the £200 start up. This is extremely cheap when you consider the potential earnings. Also, you can get your money back as many are now doing so you can effectively start for FREE. There are a few ongoing costs but they are not high, and if you started your own business (plumber, builder, restaurant etc etc) your start-up costs would beway more and your ongoing costs also. Can you run any business without ongoing costs?? I don't think so. You mention "cold calling." Why would you need to be doing that? However, should you choose to so, if your calls are FREE, it doesn't actually cost you anything does it? UW are not the only company who don't pay uswitch, I know Tesco didn't for one (whether that has now changed I don't know). I have found that uswitch will offer you a cheaper option to the one you are on but not necessarily the cheapest! As I said before, it isn't for everyone but the fact is, like it or not, it does work and there are many people earning a fantastic income now to prove it. .

Spookman01, thanks for your feedback, it's interesting to hear an independent observation. I have to say I don't disagree with anything you said. The "lifestyle" is obviously an important factor after all, it's the reason everyone works isn't it, to pay the bills etc and have enough money left over to do what you want. Not everyone wants to be "Rich" and drive a Ferrari, and for some an extra £100pm every month is all they need to do or pay for something extra without having to worry about it. This does become evident during training and also from the application forms and certain things you can or can't do, especially in relation to the energy market. Anyone caught deliberately mis-selling would be terminated. The restriction on advertising for example is an obvious safeguard to ensure there are no false or even slightly misleading claims being made. Only until you have 50 after which you receive full commission every month regardless of whether or not you have done anything that month. The thing is, everybody has a different idea of what is "success" which is probably why they don't go into it and certainly why they don't say "I earn £ xxx" because as I said above, some will be happy with an extra £100pm, others may want £1,000pm and others as much as they can get. The potential is only limited by your own individual commitment. Like you said, self employment isn't for everybody. I have met many people over the years who have said ..I really want to do xxxxx" or "I really want to earn £ XXX" but when it comes down to it, make no real effort to achieve it. But this doesn't just apply to UW or MLM in general, it applies to life overall.

Hi spookman01, I haven't been on here for a long time but having read your post I thought I would just say......do make up your own mind and don't be swayed by the negative comments of others. Is it something you would be happy to do? Can you see the medium/long term benefits it offers? The business does work but it isn't for everybody. You need to be self motivated and willing to work the business consistently, be that 2 hrs a week or 5 hrs a week. UW now offer a "price guarantee" to new customers and their new mobile deals are cheaper than just about everybody else. I have never "hassled" friends and family. Sure I mentioned it to many of them and some did become customers (a couple of friends became distributors too) but if they weren't interested then I left it at that. I still have customers after 5 and 6 years, happy customers, but the majority of my customers are people I had never previously met. Only you can decide if it is for you. Consider your situation/circumstances now (and how you see your future) and if you think it is worth a try, then go for it. You can get your small investment returned in full as many are now doing and then the business owes you nothing, so whether you earn £50pm or £10,000pm (in time) doesn't really matter a great deal. If you don't think it is for you then walk away, there are other ways to earn money I guess. Hope this helps.

:???:

Kia, if you have serious doubts then don't do it, simple! I am a distributor with UW and have always found them to be excellent (that is from a customer point of view and not because I am a distributor). I have only ever had 2 customers who weren't happy with the way a problem was resolved, unfortunately it happens. You should have been advised of the cancellation fee but come on, £10 to get out of the contract as opposed to how ever many months you may still have to run which is what the others do. [advertising] I agree there are a lot of posts relating to UW but if you take away the many, many individual arguments, comments aimed at distributors etc etc I think you will find that actual genuine posts relating to a topic would reduce that 500 pages to less than half. At the end of the day, the decision is yours. UW are no worse than any other company out there, but you can always go elsewhere and sign up for a 12 or 18 month contract with someone else. I await the "lovely comments" which I will no doubt receive.

Not sure how that is going to help? A new line cost money and he will still be in contract with Sky who will still want their money.

Not sure I have ever come across this before, usually most companies will release you on receipt of any termination fee. I would suggest checking your original terms and conditions, if you don't have them then why not contact Sky as a "potential customer" and after finding out the price of their services, ask them what the procedure would be if you wanted to terminate early (and get their name).

piggybilling, I am surprised at your comment saying it is the "blind leading the blind". There is detailed training available on all UW products as well as how to talk to potential customers and what you shouldn't do, and this training is available to all distributors who after attending their first (and compulsory) training session can re attend as many times as they wish until they are completely familiar with everything. In general, most distributors do have a very good knowledge, however, there will always be those who "can't be bothered" to keep up with changes etc and so end up confusing everything.

Hi Littleun, no, you didn't upset me. Whilst I may have "a vested interest" I don't like bad customer service, even if it is UW. I have posted many times before as you say but I don't think I have ever said anything to defend the company just because I am a UW distributor. Some things I have read aren't good from the point of view of the company and I believe I have said as much, but equally, I don't like unfair or untrue statements (and I have seen a few of those too). That said, i think we all want and expect good service. I agree, which is why I said "is it" and ended with a question mark.

Bad customer service is very irritating no matter who the company is. I have to say though that a "Fair user policy" is pretty standard on just about every "unlimited" phone/internet deal I have seen on the market. To be making 50 hours of phone calls in 22 days is almost unbelievable. Allowing 8 hrs for sleeping would mean 50 hrs of calls in a 352 hr period including mealtimes and anything else a normal person does in the course of a day. Is it being used for business I wonder? Just a though although it still isn't an excuse for poor customer service.

Forget the £4.99, tell them they actually owe you money for the "failed appointments" when you took time off work and they didn't bother to show!

Yep! And every other company out there too. UW do not have the monopoly. I have rarely read anything positive about any company on these forums, people only come on when they have a problem.

You aren't the forgive and forget type then? As an ex-distributor you are aware that new services etc are usually notified on the customers bill, and these new tariffs have only very recently been released. In most areas its actually 24MB. But it does depend on the distance from the exchange and the quality of the line. It is the same for most of the companies unfortunately. The good thing with UW is that a customer can cancel most services for £10 which is a whole lot cheaper than pretty much every other company. UW aren't perfect, who is? But overall I think they do provide a great package for the majority (but obviously not everybody).

nevos, sorry to hear you are no longer happy with UW, it isn't for everyone. Yes, you are correct in that the monthly bill is paid around about the 28th of each month. I'm surprised to hear about the broadband problems though, UW have always rated very highly for their broadband. Personally, i've never had a problem with it and every one of my customers I have spoken to has been more than happy. I am no internet expert but if you hard wired the computer and still had a problem then perhaps it hasn't been set up correctly, did she/you contact the technical dept to try to resolve the problem? As for the extra costs for going over the limit, 40GB is a massive limit (bigger than most suppliers) if that is being exceeded it can only be down to a huge amounts of downloads each month. I can only think that you haven't looked at their lastest packages? eg Transferring your existing phone to UW, paying just £10pm you get 500 minutes xnet + unlimited texts, £20pm = unlimited xnet + unlimited texts. Far from being "the most expensive plans on the planet" I have struggled to find any cheaper!

Hi upseydaisy, firstly, I am a distributor and have never said otherwise, just so you know. Regarding your comments I would just like to say a few things as I see them. I agree that at times a new member may come onto the forum saying they are a happy customer and not owning up to the fact they are a distributor...it does happen I am sure but equally, I bet a few of them are genuine and yet they are always accused of being distributors. UW is a very talked about subject but if you look at everything as a whole, 95% of the posts are really nothing more than comments relating to the above, with only a few posts being actual problems etc. The business is operated differently to the norm which is probably why it is a very contentious subject but the company still provides great services in general. NO! It is not a pyramid scheme it is MLM (there is a difference!). Also, you are forgetting some obvious points here. Consider how the majority of other companies operate. - Thousands of staff to pay regardless of what they actually do or don't do whilst at work. - Advertising: Millions of pounds paid out every year. - Company vehicles. - Pensions to pay out. - Company contributions for tax etc. UW don't have any of the above except for a small core of employed staff at their London based HQ/call centre. Regarding all the above, Who do you think pays for it? Regarding the services provided by UW, firstly I would just like to say they are not an energy company and I would never take on an "energy only" customer, however, with everything else they offer you can get a great deal. On average, I pay only about £5 pm for my line rental, broadband and all my calls. So what if I could save £5 or even £10 pm on my energy, I still have a great deal overall and don't have loads of different bills coming in. And as for their new mobile packages, they are fantastic too. Each to their own, some don't like UW.......some do, it is the same for all companies out there. UW aren't perfect (no company is) but I can understand why distributors might want to defend the company when some comments on this forum are misleading, and sometimes completely wrong. I don't know what you do for a living but if you ran your own business and heard or read misleading comments about it, i'd bet my last penny you would defend it! Unfortunately when things are going well the majority of people don't bother to comment which is a shame but only a couple of months ago a new elderly customer of mine said the following ..."I had problems with setting up the internet but the lad I spoke to in customer services was very helpful. He said he was due to go home in 10 minute but he actually spent nearly 35 minutes talking me through everything and now it is working perfectly" She was Very Pleased and even said she would have no hesitation in recommending the company to others. If customers like her were to put their thoughts on forums like this it would be great, but they don't generally do so and even if they did, they would probably be accused of being a distributor.

To be fair, didn't Graemecox say on his first post that he was earning an income from the business? Anyway, the fact is UW do provide a great service for the most part, I still have customers who have been with them for between 5 and 7 years so they must be doing something right.

Hi Surfer01, no problem.

Surfer01, contrary to what you obviously think, I do have a life and I have better things to do than trying to get people onto this forum to praise UW. I am an honest person (please don't judge others by your own standards), and don't need to resort to such tactics. Only 3 of my customers have ever had a problem with UW during the past 7 years and only one wasn't resolved quickly and to the satisfaction of the customer or mine. However, after one phone call I was able to resolve his issues. You don't like UW, fine! Personally I think they are a great company.

mumof4kids, you have to be a distributor for UW because according to a couple of forum members, the only people who say good things about UW on here are distributors. You cannot possibly have had a good experience as a normal customer.

Hi Blomquist, please to hear you have resolved everything now.

Fossn, if you are referring to what I earn, I really don't see what it has to do with you....how much do you earn? I will say though that I don't have any other job. You say you haven't ever met anyone earning a lot of money from MLM, maybe not, that doesn't mean they aren't out there. Like I said, I have met several, some UW, some not, who are earning serious amounts of money. I certainly am not "indoctrinated" if it didn't work I would have left long ago and would probably be on this forum saying the same old meaningless nonsense as you. Unfortunately, you are one of those who because it didn't work for you, believe it can't possibly work for anyone else. Get real!

I have to say I am always suspicious of someone who comes onto a forum like this, slates a company and then disappears without hearing a response. To say "the business model is flawed because it is an MLM company" is just so ridiculous. Forget UW for a moment, I know people who are involved in other MLM businesses who are making more money in a month than many people earn in a year, FACT! FACT! FACT! Whether fossn or anyone else agrees with that statement or not makes absolutely no difference, it is a FACT! UW is no exception. What really annoys me is the times I have heard people say MLM doesn't work when in fact, providing it is a reputable company, it does work. These people join a business looking for easy money, do nothing and then whine about it "not working" when the truth is, "they didn't work." fossn mentions "the joining up fee"......like this is something outrageous. Firstly £199 to start off in a business which could be paying a very good full time income forever is no big deal. In fact, providing you make an effort and reach a simple target, even that £199 will be refunded so it won't have actually cost anything to join. How much is the avergae Franchise? (which restricts you to a single postcode)....how much to start up your own business? Lots!! If you don't like MLM that is fine, it isn't for everyone,(for a start you have to be self motivated) but please don't say it doesn't work when there are thousands in the UK alone who are living proof it does. As for "not getting her telecoms moved" ....there is probably a very good reason which hasn't been mentioned. I have seen a number of my customers leave over the years for whatever reason and none has ever had a problem. If you notify the company, aren't under contract and have paid your bill, you are free to leave. Things can go wrong, as with all companies, it is a fact of life and I have yet to find any company in any line of business which is flawless.